How to Edit System Mail Preferences in WHM?

WHM sends important notifications about server status, errors, and account events to system email accounts (root, nobody, and cpanel). By default, these emails are stored on the server and are not accessible via cPanel Webmail. The Edit System Mail Preferences interface lets you forward these system emails to an external or cPanel email address so you never miss critical server alerts.

Step 1: Log In to WHM

Log in to your WHM interface at https://your-server-hostname:2087 using your root credentials.

Step 2: Navigate to Edit System Mail Preferences

In the left-hand sidebar, go to Server Contacts » Edit System Mail Preferences.

Step 3: Configure Email Forwarding

You will see three system email accounts. Enter a forwarding email address for each one:

• root — Receives server problem notifications, activity alerts, and the primary administrator contact emails. Forward this to a real email address you actively monitor (e.g., [email protected]).
• nobody — Receives bounce messages from CGI scripts when suEXEC is disabled. Forward this to root or a monitored address.
• cpanel — Receives cPanel account alerts such as quota and bandwidth overage notices. Forward this to root or a monitored address.

Recommended setup: Forward nobody and cpanel to root, then forward root to an external email address you check regularly.

Step 4: Save Changes

Click Update to apply your forwarding settings.

Important Notes

• System email accounts use the format account@your-server-hostname — they are not regular cPanel email accounts.
• You cannot access system emails through cPanel Webmail unless you forward them to a cPanel account.
• If you do not set up forwarding, you must use a mail client with your root WHM password to check these mailboxes directly.
• Test your configuration by sending a test email to root@your-server-hostname and confirming it arrives at the forwarding address.

Troubleshooting

• Not receiving forwarded emails? Check that your server's mail deliverability is configured correctly via WHM » Email Deliverability.
• Emails going to spam? Set up SPF, DKIM, and rDNS records for your server hostname.
• Need to change your server hostname? Use WHM » Networking Setup » Change Hostname. Note this changes the default system email addresses.

For more details, see the official cPanel documentation.